Giant African snails seized at Los Angeles airport

A snail from an air cargo shipment of 67 live snails that arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on July 1. (AP)

LOS ANGELES >> Inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport seized an unusually slimy package -- 67 live giant African snails that are a popular delicacy across West Africa.

The snails
-- which are prohibited in the U.S. -- arrived from Nigeria and were
being sent to a person in San Dimas, said Lee Harty, a spokeswoman for
the U.S. Customs and Border protection.

The snails
were confiscated July 1 and a sample was sent the next day to a federal
mollusk specialist in Washington, D.C., who identified them as a
prohibited species, Harty said.

The mollusks are among the largest land snails in the world and can grow to be up to 8 inches long. They are native to Africa and can live for up to 10 years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture incinerated the snails
after they were inspected, Harty said. The animals are prohibited in
the U.S. because they can carry parasites that are harmful to humans,
including one that can lead to meningitis.

The snails are also agricultural pests, said Maveeda Mirza, the CBP program manager for agriculture.

"These snails are seriously harmful to local plants because they will eat any kind of crop they can get to," Mirza said.

The person the snails
were destined for is not expected to face any penalties, Mirza said.
She said authorities are investigating why a single person would want so
many snails.

"We're investigating what
happened, but it doesn't seem like there was smuggling involved. When
someone doesn't know a commodity is prohibited under USDA regulations
there is usually no punishment," she said.

Although the agency has found one or two snails
that may have accidentally gotten into a traveler's luggage in Los
Angeles, this is the first time that they have confiscated the snails in such a large quantity, Mirza said.

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808ikeawrote:

Man that is some huge escargot.

on July 14,2014 | 04:32PM

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al_kiqaedawrote:

No fine?

on July 14,2014 | 04:38PM

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iwanaknowwrote:

This was meant to be a terrorist attack?..........sounds like a book or movie in the making?.............all I want is 1% of the profit.

on July 14,2014 | 04:46PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

See not only Hawaii's Law Enforcement gives second and third chances. Maybe it was a terrorist attack.

on July 14,2014 | 05:16PM

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rayhawaiiwrote:

So after they cooked them I hope they ate them instead of them going to waste.

on July 14,2014 | 07:46PM

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atilterwrote:

does the heat application eliminate the possibility of contracting the meningitis ? if it does, it's time to seriously rethink the escargot aspect as a business.

on July 15,2014 | 05:48AM

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SueHwrote:

"The person the snails were destined for is not expected to face any penalties, Mirza said....... When someone doesn't know a commodity is prohibited under USDA regulations there is usually no punishment, she said". And Mirza is a spineless snail !!! Whatever happened to "ignorance of the law is no excuse??? Book'em, Danno!!

on July 14,2014 | 08:18PM

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sailfish1wrote:

Seeing how snails are hard to eradicate, they should farm these snails and feed them to the starving people in Africa.

on July 14,2014 | 09:06PM

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Publicbraddahwrote:

Supremo escargot!

on July 15,2014 | 05:38AM

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manakukewrote:

Rat Lungworm ring any bells? Known mollusk vector.

on July 15,2014 | 05:56AM

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livinginhawaiiwrote:

So if these things are prohibited in the US why isn't the government doing anything about them in Hawaii. Last I checked they were in everyone's back yard...

on July 15,2014 | 07:26AM

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Jerry_Dwrote:

Really? I'm born and raised here (48 years) and have NEVER seen a snail that size in my entire life. Seen foot-long centipedes in Manoa Valley....but our snails grow to only about three inches, max.

on July 15,2014 | 09:41AM

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livinginhawaiiwrote:

Maybe not in everyone's back yard but definitely from Kahala to Hawaii Kai. African snails have been here at least since the 50's..

on July 15,2014 | 12:25PM

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HanabataDayswrote:

Yep, I remember them from then and I think that's when they arrived. I've never seen one with an eight-inch shell but I've seen a few fives over the years. No lunkers that size lately.

on July 15,2014 | 03:43PM

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Jerry_Dwrote:

"...the agency has found one or two snails that may have accidentally gotten into a traveler's luggage in Los Angeles..." Hmmmmm. How does a snail THAT size "accidentally" get into one's luggage?

on July 15,2014 | 09:09AM

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hawaiifishermanwrote:

They can go places you'd never expect! A friend of mine found one in a laulau once.

on July 15,2014 | 05:58PM

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lwandcahwrote:

What is the difference between these snails and the ones we have here that we always called African snails? I thought the ones here were poisonous.

on July 15,2014 | 12:10PM

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hawaiifishermanwrote:

They are the same kind of snail. They're not poisonous but you have to cook them really well if you're eating them, because they carry parasites.

on July 15,2014 | 05:59PM

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mille1dogwrote:

I have a smaller version of these in my yard from time to time and we've always called them African snails ever since I can remember. They are gross!